of concern is great. but we don't seem to be getting all of the information we need to protect our athletes. >> honoring the treem, the legacy of martin luther king jr. and the challenges we face today. >> somewhere we must come to see that human progress never rolls on the wheels of inhe have itability. >> one day before chris christie is sworn in for his second term as new jersey governor, his administration is fighting new allegations involving political retribution in hurricane sandy relief money. earlier today his lieutenant governor came out and unequivocally denied allegations made first on msnbc and since taken to the u.s. attorneys office. she says mayor zimer's claim is

false. she also says that she made 13 visits to the city of hoboken and described her relationship with mayor zimmer as good. >> in shoort, mayor zimmer's version of our conversation in made of 2013 is not only false, but is illogical and does not withstand scrutiny with all of the facts are examined. any suggestion, any suggestion that sandy funds were tied to the approval of any project in new jersey is completely false. standing in union beach as we are today, with some of the mayors whose towns were devastated by sandy, and also being a sandy victim myself,

makes the mayor's allegations particularly offensive to me. this suggestion that anyone would hold back sandy relief funds for any reason is wholly and completely false. i thought i had a good relationship with the mayor of hoboken. and in fact, just three months after this conversation she said we had occurred, i was walking on the streets with her in hoboken, talking to her about urban markets. >> the crisis for the governor is escalating now. hoboken's mayor met for several hours with the u.s. attorney and turned over her journal and other documents to the feds. she also promised to testify under oath about what she told

msnbc's steve kornacki on saturday, that the lieutenant governor said unless she approved a particular real estate deal, her city would not receive state controlled money for sandy relief. >> lieutenant governor came to hoboken, she pulled me aside in the parking lot and said, i know it's not right and know these things should not be connected and they are, if you tell anyone, i'll deny it. so these -- the bottom line is it's not fair for the governor to hold sandy funds hostage for the city of hoboken because he wants me to give back to one private developer. >> christie's people have denied all of the allegations. a statement from christie's office reads in part, governor christie and his entire administration have been helping hoboken get the help they need after sandy. in the past mayor zimmer has ee fusively praised governor christie. michael isikoff continues to

follow these developments and i heard we've heard from mayor zimmer once again in the past hour. what does she say? >> the statement from her office a few minutes ago responding to lieutenant governor and genuinely disappointed that lieutenant governor gaudagno lived up to her promise that she would deny with expediting a private development project. i met with the u.s. attorney over two hours yesterday and answered all of their questions and turned over my journal. i stand by my word and remain willing to testify under oath and will continue to answer any questions. what's significant here, craig, is having already met with the u.s. attorney, her story is locked in. it's a crime to lie to a federal agent. and if she's told her story, she is subject to criminal prosecution if she lied about what took place. kim gaudagno forceful denial but she does acknowledge they had a

conversation. she doesn't say what took place during that conversation. she was silent on that. she didn't address whether or not she raised this real estate project, that mayor zimmer says was the subject of that conversation. so while clearly she is strongly denying the most explosive element here, which is that they link sandy funding to approval of this project, there's still a lot of questions unanswered as to what took place and what was said. >> our national investigative correspondent michael isikoff, thank you. >> a republican and also new jersey assemblyman, good day to you. you've heard what both parties here have to say and in your mind does lieutenant governor's denial put that part of the investigation to rest. >> i would say it would. i will tell you this, i know the lieutenant governor quite well. she's a woman of absolute integrity. >> and the mayor of hoboken is not? >> i don't know mayor zimmer

that well at all. i met her one time in my life. we have to get through the investigation process and we can sort it out at that point. what i would like to discuss is that process that we're facing right now in the legislature. >> let's get to that in just a moment. it sounds as if you've closed the chapter on this particular part of the story, that you're accepting what the lieutenant governor says at face value and not so much the mayor of hoboken. >> let the investigation look into it. the process is the problem we're facing right now. we have a chairman of the committee, who has already made conclusions to an investigation that hasn't even begun. that needs to be at a dreddress. in fairness to a process, we can't have a chairman of a committee who again drew conclusions before the process began. >> chairman wisniewski. >> chairman wisniewski. >> which were drawn before the process? >> he's already determined from his mind in statements he's made in the past couple of weeks that the governor is a liar and that

the governor should be -- >> i don't think -- >> i don't think i've heard the chairman say the governor is a liar. >> he said he either doesn't know what's going on in his office or he's a liar. taken as it is, but here's my problem. i was sitting on the transportation committee, sitting in for one of the other members and asked for the documents to be provided and they were not disclosed to us. up until less than 24 hours before the hearing. yet, mr. wisniewski was in the newspapers the weekend before stating he had the documents for two whole weeks an reviewed 900 pages twice. that to me is a problem. you can't have committee members not being provided with the information. and in a fair process and it's the public's confidence, craig. >> it sounds like you're saying that the investigating that's going on right now between these two committees, you already have concerns about the way the investigation is being carried out. >> i'll only speak to the

assembly committee, but the resolution itself that they passi passed the other day, any other information should be in the custody and control of the chair person and the chair person shall be authorized to determine access and availability to those documents. why is one person who has made such comments being provided with exclusive right to those documents and the exclusive determination as to who's going to see those documents and when? that's a real problem. i think mr. wisniewski should step down from the chair and have two members to become co-chair, one republican and one democrat, like the 9/11 commission was created with governor keane and the former senator. >> let's go back to mayor z zimmer, again, your position on precisely what she said, how concerned are you that at this point first the bridge flap, now this, how concerned are you this

is the drip, drip, drip that brings down an administration? >> again, i want the process to continue as far as the investigations are concerned. but, i know the lieutenant governor quite well. and i find her to be a person of tremendous integrity. and i just -- i would let the process go forward and let the investigation -- >> pay process that you now are also questioning. >> i have questioned the process we have but we have a lot of investigations taking place. >> five investigations right now. >> right, two in the nj legislature alone. some are wondering why they need two separate -- >> we questioned that on the floor. for whatever reason the politics of trenton is dictating that we're going to have two separate investigations. >> that's a good spot to leave it, representing wayne, new jersey, thanks for coming by. let's turn to democratic

strategy and msnbc contributor susan del percio. we need to make clear that nobody confirmed mayor zimmer's allegations, but does the u.s. attorney general's involvement, does it diminish the idea that this is a partisan affair? >> i think she showed a great deal of full sincerity and the u.s. attorney had to look into this. there's going to be nothing there. the only thing she has is a diary that explains her feelings. to follow through, she never raised the question until now. if she was so concerned about this and it was such a moral question to her, she should never have allowed governor chris christie to be re-elected. it's not the same as doing this in the second year of a term. she didn't even have to be the first to accuse him. the mayor of ft. lee already -- >> she said she did not come forward because she did not think anyone would believe her. >> what i'm saying is, in september, when the mayor of ft.

lee said i believe chris christie is doing this lane closure, to come from -- for pay back for not endorsing him. she could have been the second person to say it. she didn't have to put it out there first. her reasoning is because she cares so much about the people of hoboken. this is a very slick politician, you don't get to where she is in new jersey politics without seeing how the state is run and where to take advantage of certain things. that's exactly what she is doing. >> keith, christie had his defenders, including former new york mayor rudy giuliani. take a listen. >> clearly it is a well orchestrated democratic organizational effort to try to hurt governor christie, the only republican, only republican who was beating hillary clinton inny poll at any time. >> keith boyskkin, it is accordg to the mayor, a vast conspiracy.

>> i'm concerned that rudy giuliani and susan del percio are doubling down on their offense of christie and attacking other mayors making these allegations, it's not just dawn zimmer, the mayor of jersey city and remember what chris christie himself did to newark mayor cory booker, he scheduled the election in a way so it wouldn't coincide with his election. this guy has a history of intimidation throughout the governor's office and in -- throughout the state, i think through his administrative staff. i don't think it's fair to prejudge whether dawn zimmer is telling the truth or not. she put her testimony on the record by telling authorities and u.s. attorney what she believes happened. if she's not telling the truth, then that is a crime -- >> it's fair to question the lieutenant -- keith, it's fair to question the lieutenant governor? >> she flatly denied it right

now -- >> but she hasn't done that -- >> that's not fair either. you can't have it both ways. >> she hasn't done it under oath yet, susan. >> we don't actually know that she was sworn under oath. >> very quickly here, keith, christie did this interview with yahoo! news and compared the bridge scandal to getting hit across the forehead with a 2 x 4. at what point do we think republicans stop defending him as more information comes out? at what point do they start to seek their distance and does he consider stepping down from the rj spot? >> i think it's way too early to judge that. i'm down here in doflorida righ now and christie was here with governor scott. but governor scott's staff wasn't sure whether he should appear with him at first either because there's a sense of whether there's truth or not to

the story. if it's not true, he'll survive but we have to get all of the facts out and find that out first. we can't do that by dismissing the allegations without looking at them seriously and investigating them. >> keith boykin and republican strategist susan del percio. susan, i love it when you smile at the end. thank you very much. >> promising terror with a start of the winter olympics 17 days away, extremists say they have prepared a quote, present for the games. nbc's richard engel is live with how president putin and security are responding. what president obama said over the weekend about pot that's still got a lot of folks talking. death penalty debate, the old way to execute that several states are now considering bringing back. it's hip-hop.

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terrorists have issued a new threat against the winter olympics in so chi. this time it comes in a video showing two men who claim responsibility for recent suicide bombings in the russian city of volgograd. those attacks raised concern about safety at the sochi games which start on february 7th. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel is live in moscow. richard, let's start here with this group, the men in the video say they've got a quote, surprise, planned for those games. what more can you tell us about this? >> reporter: this video was made sometime ago, it's unclear exactly when. these men are now dead because they carried out a suicide attack. this video was their last testimonial, their martyrdom video in which they describe their motivations for the attack and why they are doing it. they are from a militant group

that operates in the north caulk as. they want to carry out violence against the russian security forces and say there will be more attacks to come specifically targeting the games. >> nbc news also learned russian security officials are furiously searching for another terror suspect, the woman who reportedly has this 4 inch star on the left cheek. what more can you tell us about her, about that part of the investigation? >> reporter: that woman, who also known as ro san that, 23 years old from dagestan. her husband also a militant, killed by forces six or seven months ago. officials have been putting up these wanted posters around sochi, to the hotels and airports trying to see if she arrived in the city. they think she may have arrived

in the sochi area about ten days ago, but we have been told that russian officials are looking for up to four different black widows, four potential terrorists that have been dispatched to carry out some sort of olympics related attack. she would only be one of those four. >> richard engel for us on duty in moscow. thank you very much. do appreciate it. while the hunt for terrorists continue in russia, there are more questions here at home whether it's even safe to attend the olympic games. >> i would not go. and i don't think i would send my family. i don't know how you put a percentage on it, but it's just such a rich target. >> they've had several bombings. disrupted plot, they've now moved some 30,000 armed troops down to the region. that tells you that their level of concern is great but we don't seem to be getting all of the

information we need to protect our athletes. >> senator angus king and mike rogers, republican from michigan, two of the many voices in d.c. that are raising the alarm about security at the olympics now. congressman steven -- senator king you heard him there, he would not feel safe going himself and would not send his family either. how would you feel on sending your loved ones to the olympics this year? >> clearly there are many concerns that have been raised and as a member of the homeland security committee, we have received briefings of some of those concerns. i know that our agencies that are responsible for our athletes will do everything they can to keep them safe. but clearly, it's a great concern. >> but would you send your loved ones? >> i don't know that this would be the year that we would participate as a family.

>> in your role as member of the homeland security committee as you just alluded to there, are you aware of any communication problems with the russians that could put americans in danger? >> not specifically, the homeland security committee primarily deals with security on our home front. not so much the issues abroad. that would fall under the jurisdiction of the intelligence and armed services committees. >> congressman mike rogers also came very close to saying that edward snowden is a spy for russia. take a listen to that. >> there's a reason he ended up in the hands -- loving arms of an fsb agent in moscow. i don't think it was a luck event that he ended up in moscow. >> what do you make of those comments? have you seen any evidence to support that theory? >> well, i have not myself

specifically seen any evidence. you know, for me, it's not so much about ed snowden as it is about the reforms that are necessary here in our own country with our own national security agencies like the nsa that has been collecting millions upon millions of phone records on americans that are not a threat to our own government. and so that's why i'm glad to see that the president has taken an important first step but i believe that additional reforms are going to be necessary in the future. >> additional reforms like -- >> well, i believe that there is a way to both protect our national security and protect our civil liberties and our personal privacy. the president's speech went one step and took an important first step but clearly more needs to be done. and he called on congress to do our part in having the debate and bringing forward a

legislation that's balanced, that balances our civil liberties and giving the tools to our national security agencies that are necessary. >> nevada congressman steven horseford, i'll get you to get into the specifics next time as well. always good to see you. >> thank you, craig. >> we have other news making headlines as well, cleding including a plea for help from kenneth bae. then our think tank will wade into new developments on the chris christie investigation, strongly denying that she threatened to hold sandy relief funds hostage in exchange for cooperation from hoboken's mayor. the day we rescued riley was a truly amazing day. he was a matted mess in a small cage. so that was our first task, was getting him to wellness. without angie's list, i don't know if we could have found all the services we needed for our riley. from contractors and doctors to dog sitters and landscapers,

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reporters under guard. he's been detained more than a year now. bracing for a winter wallop, washington, d.c. tomorrow could get the biggest snowstorm in three years. the capital city is expected 3 to 6 inches and new york expecting somewhere between 2 and 4. and bundle up, folks, there's an arctic blast that's set to follow. and despite that great finish to the ffc champion game this is getting all of the attention today. seattle cornerback richard sherman. >> the final play, take me through it. >> i'm the best corner in the game! when you try me with a sorry receiver like crabtree that's the result you're going to get. don't you ever talk about me. >> ladies and gentlemen, that is richard sherman. he plays for the seattle seahawks. hey kevin...still eating chalk for heartburn?

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>> the allegations continue to pile up as dawn zimmer went public with her accusations that the hurricane sandy aid requested by the city was directly tied to the mayor's approval of redevelopment project and hours ago the lieutenant governor responded strongly denying the allegations. >> i'm very surprised by the mayor's allegations and i deny wholeheartedly those allegations. i proudly support and will continue to support the creation of jobs in hoboken and all of new jersey and i will continue to work on those projects. but i'm going to end and i mean end, by reemphasizing one thing. i deny any suggestion made by mayor zimmer that there was ever

any condition placed on the release of sandy funds by me. i want to thank you all for coming out forgiving me the opportunity to speak. i look forward to the inquires, i'm sure, absolutely sure, all of the facts will come out. >> as for governor christie himself, he took the weekend to search for sunshine traveling down to florida in his new role as head of the republican governors association. part of the trip's purpose was to present $2.5 million of rga money to the campaign efforts of florida governor rick scott, although the two governors made no public appearances together. the florida events planned well before the bridge gate scandal were attended by a series of gop fundraisers and christie supporters as well, including an event at at the home of ken langone, where christie answered questions before 200 or so reporters. no everyone in florida was pleased to see the governor make

a visit to their state. in orlando protesters lined the streets holding up signs like this, calling christie a bully and demanding answers in the bridgegate scandal. for more on how the christie allegations are playing outside the garden state, i'm joined by john ralston and political reporter for the miami herald mark caputo. let's start with the new accusations that the lieutenant governor denied strongly and dawn zimmer essential lip doubling down on the allegation, i stand by my word and remain willing to testify under oath and i will continue to answer any questions asked of me by the u.s. attorneys office. is the charge itself here by mayor zimmer even more serious than the bridge scandal itself, john? >> well, potentially it is craig, but i don't think we know enough yet. all scandals are different but they are the same in many ways

too, right? first we add the the opposition party starts the investigation and law enforcement gets a whif of it and now in the era in which we live, there's so much focus right in the moment, we don't know what it's going to look like six months or a year from now. there's a certain amount of blood in water here with christie because of his out sized personality, even among republicans who still remember the obama hug and wonder whether he was going to be competitive in a place like iowa in 2016. we don't know what this is going to look like. a year from now there may be a "time" magazine cover calling him the comeback kid or saying chris who? >> part of the reason for the trip over the weekend, that governor christie made to florida was to raise money for rick scott. we understand that the two of them never appeared together in public. was there an explanation given from scott's people? >> not officially from scott's

p.m. but donors of scott's who attended one of the events. one said it was insisted on by christie's people to make the completely closed press, no public appearance events. and that it was quote, stupid, that this made it look like chris christie was hiding and congressman debbie wasserman shultz, also from south florida and democratic national committee chair, was probably overjoyed by this. she shadowed christie for in orange county and then in broward county near fort lauderdale er dale and held press conference after press conference how she got to highlight how he was hiding from the press and essentially try to tie the two governors and very scandals that happened in scott's past with the current scandals in chris christie's present. doesn't look good for chris christie, this is not a good way to make a first impression in the nation's biggest swing state, florida. luckily for christie, it's

happening like 34 months before the 2016 elections. so there's time to clean it up. but there's a lot of bitterness against christie, even in the republican party, one of rick scott's own major donors named brian ballard called chris christie horrific as a person. >> let's switch gears and i want to talk about something else, comments that president obama made in an interview with the new yorker magazine talking about the legalization of recreational marijuana in colorado and washington state. the president said he doesn't think marijuana is more dangerous than alcohol. are the tides turning on the pot issue like they did when president obama came out in favor of same-sex marriage? >> sure seems to me. this hits home in nevada where we passed medicinal pot more than a decade ago. they haven't implemented it here. on friday, you had harry reid, the senate majority leader

reversing his opposition to medicinal pot and an announcement here that recreational pot legalization is going to be qualified potentially for the ball lot in 2016 here. i think a lot of people think what the president said suspect so outlandish, that alcohol may be more dangerous than pot. it's been legalized some places but whether the tide is turning, law enforcement, i think in a lot of places is still going to be a pretty loud voice against that. >> thanks too both of you. >> thank you. >> folks, let's get into the political playground on this monday. it is hard to believe but there is sometimes a glam orrous side to politics, the big party in washington this weekend, first lady michelle obama turned the big 5-0. the star-studded guest list included samuel l. jackson and rachael ray and music legend her

by hancock and there was nbc's very own al roker and performances by beyonce and stevie wonder, the guests were ready to dance. >> i'm definitely dancing. i'm going to have a good time. >> beyonce took a breath to hang with the newest member of the oo obama family. that's sonny. 2012 presidential candidate mitt romney and his wife ann made a surprise performance at the sun das film festival to celebrate the premiere of the new documentary "mitt", which will be released on netflix. it documents the romney family from his first presidential run in 2006 all the way through his loss to president obama in november of 2012. and for those of you playing at home, that was 11 nos, which in political parlance means me.

"saturday night live" provided their take on the chris christie scandal. >> i will not let the scandal define the state of new jersey. instead new jersey will continue to be defined by organized crime, pizza, no show jobs, a vague chemical smell and forget about it. i remember, you know, picking him up and holding him against me. it wasn't just about me anymore. i had to quit. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. chantix didn't have nicotine in it, and that was important to me. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop chantix and see your doctor right away, as some could be life threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, or if you develop new or worse symptoms.

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than any other behind the counter liquid gel. thanks for the tip. [ male announcer ] no problem. oh...and hair products. aisle 9. [ inhales deeply ] oh what a relief it is. ♪ now to a new controversy over the death penalty. could firing squads, could they be getting a second life as a means of execution? missouri lawmakers are considering just that after problems with the supply of drugs for lethal injection. the use of an untested cocktail made headlines with the inmate reportedly making guttural noises and choking for about ten minutes before he was pronounced dead. that was 26 minutes after he received the injection. nicole austin hillary with the center for justice. how did we get here? how did we get to a point where

firing squads are being discussed openly as a possible means of execution once again? >> craig, i have to tell you, it's part and parcel of a larger systemic problem that we have in this country right now. we have this issue of mass incarceration and this issue of a criminal justice system that isn't working the way it should be. you heard the attorney general talk back in august at the american bar association conference where he said we've got to make some changes when it comes to our criminal justice system and reforming it. and this is really just somewhere along the lines of what is adding to fuel to the fire of us having this really insane system. what we have here are legislators who are really responding to drug manufacturers who basically said, we are -- we have questions and concerns about the drugs that have been used historically to perform lethal injections and some have been making those drugs less

readily available to the states. and so these are lawmakers who are saying, we want to circumvent this and find a way around it. instead of trying to take a thoughtful look at what else we should be doing when it comes to our executions in this country, you have lawmakers who have base he canally react the irrationally and said we're going the other extreme and go back to anty kuwaited system -- >> dennis mcguire, the ohio inmate i mentioned did not give his victim a peaceful exit convicted of the rape and murder of a 22-year-old pregnant woman, but you hear a case like this and it really makes you wonder. has this become cruel and unusual punishment. aren't there two states where firing squad execution is possible? >> in utah and oklahoma, craig, it is possible. but, you should note that in utah, they are actually considering phasing out firing

squads and at this point they only use firing squads for those individuals who are convicted of their crime prior to 2004. in oklahoma, it is only used in exceptional cases when, for instance, the other forms of execution such as lethal injection for some reason are not available. so it's certainly not something that we have a multitude of states running to do and running to implement. even in those two states they use it, it's in limited circumstances. >> all right, nicole austin hillary. do appreciate your inside. thank you. >> thank you, craig. >> just ahead, civil rights 50 years later. we'll look at the ongoing fight from voting rights to income equality. how far have we come when it comes to realizing the dream? [ sneezes ]

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folks, it's time we take stock. in 1967, at the southern leadership conference in atlanta, dr. king posed a question, the same question we should be asking ourselves now, where do we go from here? >> where do we go from here? joe biden talking voting rights at the annual king day breakfast in washington, d.c., part of a host of events marking this martin luther king day. with us now to talk about dr. king and his fight and legacy, richard wolf of usa today and the ceo of national urban league. mark, we heard from vice president biden saying we're essentially in a hailstorm of assaults on a number of things, including voting rights. never thought we would be fighting this all over again. how surprised are you that we are? >> very surprised. we are fighting it all over again for a number of reasons and those are the actions of states and some local governments, but also the action

of the supreme court which is really become a threat to i think forward progress on civil rights. here's the good news, last week a bipartisan group of members of congress introduced the voting rights act modernization bill. one testment to the legacy of dr. king can be to pass that bill and pass it by overwhelming majorities in the house and senate so voting discrimination does not creep back into the body politics. >> richard, you write in your piece among other things, 50 years later, the battle to end over discrimination has been far more successful than the effort to obtain economic educational or social equality. why has that broader equality -- why has it been so much more elusive? >> well, it's part of the reason why president obama is looking to make income inequality one of the major issues in the coming two or three years of his

presidency. you've had success in terms of getting at o vert, obvious discriminatory processes, school segregation but because they started behind in the areas of income and areas of poverty rates and unemployment rates and educational attainment, homeownership, they are still behind. there's been improvement but they are nowhere near at equity with whites. >> a piece over at the grio argues the need to humanize dr. king, to honor him. and perry bacon writes as we celebrate it is vitally important that we remember that he was just an everyday man. by humanizing the historic figure we make his significant accomplishments more accessible and tangible to us all as we revisit the great speeches and monuments. how important is that? >> he was a family man and

husband and father. and to his colleagues, andrew young and ralph abernathy, he was a fairly down to earth regular guy. it's also important in thinking about dr. king now in 2014, to remember his last battle, the poor people's battle was a battle for economic equality. to a great extent, we should pick up that mantle in 2014, whether it's pope francis or president obama, whether it's the national urban league and civil rights community, this issue of the wealth and income divide that exists in this nation today and in the world at large, i think is and fighting it is the continuation of the legacy of dr. king. >> that should be the fight today, income inequality? >> it's one of the most important fights as well as protecting the progress that's been made and the tools we have like the voting rights act and civil rights act. all of the tools we have to ensure that the nation's forward

progress is not stalled, does not end by the hailstorm that vice president biden talks about today. >> richard, president obama and first lady will be participating in i believe the next hour or so, that day of service. it's become a tradition for them and the president vowed this is going to be a year of action as well especially on the issue of income inequality. how much of a legacy -- how much of that is a legacy of dr. king's? >> well, i think president obama very much wants to carry on the legacy of dr. king for obvious reasons but also just because dr. king's effort to get everyone to do public service and to community service is laudible and the president every year at this time does projects on his own, not only at this time but other times of the year as well. i think he very much wants to carry on dr. king's legacy. i think he also understands that it's not going to be easy, that congress -- getting congress to do anything, whether on this new version of voting rights or

anything else is difficult and that the supreme court is stacked against him. they are stacked against him on voting rights, affirmative action, on employment discrimination and fair housing. they were lucky to duck a fair housing issue this year that would have gone probably against his wishes. it's a tough haul. >> how has the way reremember and honor dr. king, how has that changed since the creation of the federal holiday? >> i think you might get the sense today that dr. king in his time had very few critics and very few detractors. >> he has been romanticized. >> but he was a change agent that challenged the nation. for today's leadership, whether it's political leadership or community leadership, pastors or just plain folks to understand dr. king, they've got to understand his willingness to challenge the status quo.

he challenged the status quo on race. he challenged the status quo on the vietnam war. in the last, if you will, weeks, he was challenging the status quo when it comes to income inequality in this country, with the plight of the sanitation workers in memphis. >> always good to see you. a big thanks to you as well. we have an article on the four ways that martin luther king jr. wanted to battle inequality. you can read more about it when you head to the website. msnbc.com. i'm craig melvin. up next, "andrea mitchell reports." good monday to you, i'm bill karins. the arctic air is returning to the lower 48. be prepared, great lakes, ohio valley and northeast, this cold shot is heading your way as we go throughout your monday.

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any reason is wholly and completely false. >> right now on "andrea mitchell reports," it's a case of she said she said in new jersey where christie's team is fighting back. today the lieutenant governor kim gaudagno emphatically denied the accusations that christie's administration withheld relief money because dawn zimmer would not support a private development project that the governor wanted. >> the fact is that the lieutenant governor came to hoboken, she pulled me aside in the parking lot and said, i know it's not right and this thing should not be connected but they are. if you tell anyone, i'll deny it. >> who's telling the truth? as the scandal grows beyond lane closures on the george washington bridge, can christie's political future survive this expanding investigation. charlie cook and chuck todd are weighing in. sochi sure